


Intel

by lemonsarentsour



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Mild Blood, One Shot, Pre-Relationship, Scout is a sleepy boy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:15:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27712582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lemonsarentsour/pseuds/lemonsarentsour
Summary: Scout has set out to prove something.
Relationships: Miss Pauling/Scout (Team Fortress 2)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 27





	Intel

The evening glow of sunset seeps through the blinds of Miss Pauling's apartment, a candle flickering on the coffee table. She sits on the sofa, legs curled up beneath her, a cup of tea steaming up her glasses as she watches a nature documentary detailing the elaborate nature of group displays in some species of frog or other. A loud knock on the door makes her head turn instinctively, turning off the TV and gently setting down her tea on the table in front of her. Silently, she pads to the door, leaning up to peer through the peephole. Gasping softly, she immediately unbolts and opens the door, seeing Scout completely - his face bloody and bruised, clothes torn and covered in his own blood mixed with oil splatters, gripping onto a briefcase for dear life. He gives a weak smile, before practically falling through the door, just about managing to stay upright. "Jesus, Scout, what happened?" She closes the door swiftly behind him, glancing at the case in his hands.

"You gotta...take this, Miss P..." He thrusts the case in her direction with shaking hands, and she takes it carefully, still not sure what it may contain.

"Scout, you can't just bring things like this here! It's not secure!" Seemingly in response, Scout winces, clutching a gash in his side. She hurries over to her kitchen, pressing a hidden button under the breakfast bar to reveal a secure compartment, empty but for a couple of guns and a few other things that Scout couldn't identify in his current state. She slides the briefcase away and removes a tub of something, before closing the door with a hiss. "Come here. Sit." She indicates the stool in front of her, and he limps over to it, taking a seat slowly. "So what did you do?" He draws air through his teeth as she eases his filthy shirt away from his skin, pulling it over his head and tossing it into the sink. She disappears for a moment to retrieve a warm, wet cloth, before setting to work cleaning and dressing his wounds with a clear gel that had a strange tingle to it.

"Well, I...the team, they always tell me I'm useless, that I don't do nothin'...so I decided to prove 'em wrong." Miss Pauling pauses, looking up at him and raising an eyebrow. "I know, I know, it sounds dumb. But it matters to me, y'know! So I snuck off to that Gray Mann's base around here, thought I'd steal somethin'. Didn't count on the place bein' fulla robots..." He trails off as he gazes down at her, gently cleansing his wounds, so focused.

"And let me guess, you didn't want them to see you like this, because they'd think you'd failed?" He nods, pleased that someone understood.

"Exactly! I'd never live this down." She sighs, standing up straight.

"Come on, headset and hat off." He does as instructed, and she starts to wipe the blood and oil and grit off his face, her tongue poking out of the side of her mouth in concentration. As she lightly dabs the tingling gel into his cuts, he has to resist the urge to lean forward and kiss her there and then.

"Say, uh...what's this stuff you're smearin' all over me anyways?" 

"It's something Medic gave me a few months back as I'm not in the respawn programme, thought it might come in handy some day. He said it should take about 12 hours to work completely." She gives a final sweep of gel around his eye, closing the pot. "There. All done." He beams, and as she looks into his eyes she notices his pupils - far too dilated for the warmly-lit room. "How many Bonks did you have?" He glances down sheepishly, fiddling with the wrapping on his hands.

"Uh...four..." Without a word, she moves into the kitchen, gesturing to the sofa.

"Sit. You're getting tea." He stands on shaky legs, making his way to the sofa and sitting on it tentatively. The soft sound of clinking mugs and the kettle boiling soothes him, although everything still seems too loud, too fast. A moment later, she returns with a mug of tea in her hands. "It's chamomile. Drink it while it's hot." He takes it, nodding his thanks as his senses buzz around him. Retrieving her own mug from the coffee table, she settles on the other end of the sofa, sipping with a sigh. The seconds slide by, the both of them drinking in silence; Miss Pauling trying to decide what to do with him, Scout trying to stop the buzz. "Right back." Miss Pauling disappears into what Scout assumes is the bedroom, the warm tea finally permeating his senses. Locking the door of the en suite bathroom, she grips the sink with both hands and looks herself in the eye in the mirror. "You'll send him back to the base, he can't shy away from what he's done. He's part of the team, he needs to act like it." Nodding to herself, she quickly fixes her hair before returning to the lounge with new resolve. As she approaches him, ready to tell him what he needs to do, she sees that his head is relaxed against the back of the sofa, eyes closed, mouth drooping slightly. As she steps closer, he shifts, sniffling as he sleeps. A smile creeps across her face as she feels her stern resolve melting away, replaced only with her caring instinct. She takes their empty mugs and leaves them in the kitchen, then finds a spare pillow and blanket for him in the airing cupboard. Still almost asleep, he allows her to lay him down and cover him in a warm duvet, snuggling up beneath it. Smiling to herself, she goes to her own bedroom and prepares to sleep, donning her pyjamas and cleaning her teeth. Quietly, she opens the door and looks in on him again. This time he lays on his side, a content smile on his face. So tempted...he'd never have to know. She sneaks over to him on the sofa, perching next to him, constantly watching to see if he showed any signs of waking up. Ever so slowly, she lays down beside him, settling into the little spoon position. She closes her eyes, just for a moment, revelling in the warmth and comfort that he provides. His breath is soft and regular on her neck, the curve of his body fitting hers so perfectly...

***

Shifting, Scout drifts out of sleep, disoriented and confused. The events of the night before come flooding back to him all at once; the team, the intel, the robots, Miss Pauling...he snorts as he remembers his dreams, dreams of her. As he becomes more aware of his surroundings, he feels his arms wrapped around someone warm and delicate. Opening his eyes, he sees the sleeping figure of Miss Pauling tucked up against his bare chest, one hand resting on his dog tags. He beams, squeezing her gently as he relaxes back into the pillow, blissfully happy.

**Author's Note:**

> This is an old fic I wrote around 3 years ago, feedback is appreciated but my style has changed a bit since!


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